The Metropolitan Area Groundwater Model (Metro Model) staff collected, analyzed, and interpreted a large volume of data to support model construction, and placed it into GIS-compatible databases that are readily available to end-users. The Metro Model and its supporting data continue to be used as groundwater management tools by planners, government agencies, and private consultants.
The model is simple and coarse discretized, including only known major hydrogeologic features. This allows the development team, as well as users, to understand the major features and processes that affect groundwater flow. End-users of the Metro Model modify it to represent localized conditions by inserting site-specific details into the regional backdrop that the Metro Model provides. This permits users to develop models in shorter time periods, with lower costs, and almost always with a better technical basis than would otherwise be possible with the same financial resources.
Current status of project
The Metro Model was supported by the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources from 1996-99 with supplemental funding from the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). It was then supported by the MPCA, which experienced a three-year trend in decreased staff funding. As a result of cuts in federal funds and the budget recommended by the Governor and passed by the Minnesota Legislature in 2001, the MPCA lost about 10 percent of its former staffing level (over 70 positions). Therefore, the MPCA has had to reduce service in a number of programs to meet its highest environmental priorities. The Metro Model was one of the casualties of this action. Without a legislative appropriation expressly dedicated to the project, MPCA has no plans for future support of the Metro Model. Hard financial realities have necessitated cutbacks in many other program areas as well.
Although updates and revisions to Metro Model resources have ceased, all project resources accessible through this website will remain available until they become obsolete. If end-users require assistance in the application of Metro Model resources, we recommend that they retain a qualified consultant experienced in hydrogeology, Geographic Information Systems, and groundwater modeling and engineering.
Project staff are extremely grateful for the support, input, use, and critical feedback that groundwater professionals and end-users have provided over the years. The peer-review and feedback have immeasurably improved the products and services that we have been able to provide.
Learn more about the Metro Model
Staff contacts
Although the MPCA no longer actively supports the Metro Model, inquiries regarding the project may be directed to one of the following individuals:
- Andrew Streitz: 218-723-4929, andrew.streitz@state.mn.us
- Doug Hansen: 651-757-2406, douglas.hansen@state.mn.us
Selected displays
Location of the Twin Cities in Minnesota
3D Depiction of Metropolitan Area Bedrock
3D Presentation of a Northwest Province Groundwater Surface
Mt. Simon-Hinckley Aquifer- Model Predicted Head Contours
Comparison of Spatial Interpolators
A Particle Tracking Comparison
Metropolitan Area Bedrock Topography
Lateral Extent of Lower Bedrock Aquifers
Links to other hydrogeologic sites
- Geological Society of America, Hydrogeology Division
- International Ground Water Modeling Center
- Minnesota Department of Health, Wellhead Program
- Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water, Observation Well Program
- Minnesota Geological Survey
- Minnesota Ground Water Association
- Minnesota Planning, Land Management Information Center
- National Ground Water Association
- US Geological Survey
- USGS--Water Resources of the United States
Available for download
To save the following files on your hard drive, right click (Windows) or click and hold (Macintosh) and choose 'save link as' from the popup menu.
Project reports
NE Province Summary (file size = 3.8 MB)
NW Province Summary(file size = 1.9 MB)
South Province Summary (file size = 2.3 MB)
Lower Aquifers Model — Layers 4 and 5
(file size = 9.1 MB)Project Overview (file size = 10.5 MB)
Supporting Database Report (file size = 6.5 MB)
Model Files
To unzip the following files you'll need a program such as winzip, which is available at http://www.winzip.com/
- Model files for the NE Province
- Model files for the NW Province
- Model files for the South Province
- Model files for Layers 4 and 5
Database Files and Maps
To unzip the following files you'll need a program such as winzip, which is available at http://www.winzip.com/
Geology — Paleozoic Bedrock Units
- Combined Units
- Individual Paleozoic Units
- St. Peter Sandstone
- Prairie du Chien Group
- Jordan Sandstone
- Prairie du Chien/Jordan
- St. Lawrence Sandstone
- An ARCVIEW GIS AVL file for color coding the thickness map
Groundwater Contours
- Layer 1 - Glacial Drift
- Northeast Province
- Northwest Province
- South Province
- Layer 2 - St. Peter Sandstone
- Layer 3- Prairie du Chien/Jordan Aquifer
- Northeast Province
- Northwest Province
- South Province
- Information on contouring interval (text file)
Calibration Datasets
- Layer 1
- Layer 2
- Layer 3
Glacial Drift Sand — Content Maps
Example Display
- An ARCVIEW GIS AVL file for color coding the sand content
- Short Explanation of the Intervals and the Creation of the Datasets (text file)
- Northeast Province
- Northwest Province
- Southern Province